November Bird of the Month
 |
| Latham's Snipe: Image courtesy Mark Lethlean |
 |
| Image courtesy Wayne Weatherstone |
Gladstone was an expert amateur naturalist who lived on Lyndfield Park near Gunning from 1941 until 1996.
The Visitor from Japan
On 11 November 1971 Gladstone wrote, “Japanese Snipe flushed today from reeds in creek. First recording here”. His words show no emotion, but he must have been excited. This small wetland bird, weighing only around 200 grams, had just fetched up on his farm after flying some 8000 or more kilometres from Japan and south-east Siberia!
Snipe have been making their annual journey to Australia for perhaps thousands of years. Their arrival here in Spring is a regular occurrence – but still, one to be marvelled at and celebrated.
 |
| Latham’s Snipe: In the Rain. Birdsaspoetrycom. (creativecommons.org)Add caption |
Latham’s Snipe Gallinago hardwickii, also known as Japanese Snipe, is a migratory shorebird that breeds in Japan and south-east Siberia. These birds leave their breeding grounds in August-September for the eastern seaboard of Australia, taking as little as two days to reach our coast. In many cases, they then transit on to other destinations.
These shy, secretive birds are generally widely dispersed in low numbers across wetland and grassland areas. They prefer to use open freshwater or brackish wetlands with cover nearby, particularly areas of wet tussock grassland and other short, dense ground vegetation. During the day they roost in grass and weeds that are close to water. At night they move out to feed in nearby wet paddocks, ditches and other open damp areas.
There are many mysteries about Latham’s Snipe waiting to be solved. For example, we do not know how far they move each night to feed. They probably don't go far from their daytime roosts to reduce the amount of energy used in nightly transit – but we are far from certain about this question.
The Japanese Snipe at Home
Latham's Snipe in Japan seems a different bird to the same species here. In Japan, they are known as Thunderbirds due to the loud drumming note made by their outer tail feathers during their spectacular display flights in the mating season. Colonel Lloyd R Wolfe, an American military officer and diligent birder in early post-war Japan, wrote *
Like other species of the Capella tribe, the Australian Snipe is very enthusiastic in its aerial performance during the nuptial and post-nuptial period. …by rapid wing-beats, the male gradually gains an elevation of 100 feet or more. ..the wings are set, and a power-dive begins. This is followed by a pulsating hum, sometimes called winnowing, first increasing in intensity and then decreasing as the bird nears the ground.
 |
Males are smaller than females and their beaks not as long. They play no part in nest making or brooding chicks – but that does not mean they are free-loading non-contributors. Males certainly seem to defend nesting territories as Colonel Wolfe found in 1949 Japan. He was dive-bombed by snipe while exploring a nesting area. Flying aggressively just over his head, they made a loud 'jurt-jurt-jurt, juree-juree" call.
We don’t see power diving, nor do we hear angry “jurt-jurt-jurt juree”ing in Australia. Instead, we hear nervous squawks and see swiftly departing brown backs when disturbed birds take flight. That is likely why one of their local names in the past was Bleater - a far cry from Thunderbird.
Image above right: Snipe in the rain (1900 - 1930) hand coloured woodblock by Ohara Koson. Enhanced by rawpixel.com.
Snipe in Japan feature in art and poetry. There are few, if any, haikus composed on this bird in Australia - although colonial and early federation writers were occasionally inspired to write about the pleasures of hunting and eating them.
In March 1891 the Misses Cox wrote a two-part piece "A Trip to the East" for the Nepean Times. In the second part of their travelogue, the Cox sisters reported that “Snipe is very abundant and forms a part of every meal; they are caught by means of traps and the hotel boys go for them before sunrise each morning”.
Staff from the Hokkaido Hilton will no longer be catching snipe in this way. Their numbers in Japan are almost certainly declining due mainly to habitat loss. As they nest in agricultural areas, they are in danger of being trampled by stock. The Red Fox is a further threat to them.
Left: Ohara Shoson (Koson), “Snipe in the Rain,” Color woodcut. Image courtesy Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum.
Latham’s Snipe in Australia
Why is it commonly known as Latham's Snipe? John Latham was a noted 18th-century naturalist. His ornithological work is very deserving of recognition. Still, he does not seem to have any particular connection to this bird. Its scientific name, Gallinago hardwickii, links it to Charles Browne Hardwicke, an English naval officer. He settled in Tasmania where he founded the Tasmanian Turf Club and was a successful racehorse breeder. Hardwicke may have enjoyed hunting and eating snipe, but he has no known connection to the species.
Other local names for this bird are Common Snipe, New Holland Snipe, Jack Snipe (because of its similarity to an English snipe and implying “small”), Longbill and the unfair, pejorative Bleater.
Latham’s Snipe is an omnivore - happy to eat seeds and other plant material, insects, earthworms, spiders and molluscs. Its beak is best suited to probing damp soil at depth, so it favours open freshwater or brackish wetlands with cover in which to hide.
Latham’s Snipe in the Gunning District
Latham's Snipe usually arrive here in mid-August. However, their secretive nature means their presence may not be detected at first. An analysis of records for 170 years shows the mean date of its first arrival in NSW, and the ACT is 14 August +/- 9 days. There has been no significant trend difference over all this time. Their migratory habits have not yet been affected by climate change.
There is good reason to believe population numbers are decreasing. Nevertheless, Latham's Snipe is not yet regarded as being in any danger. Although their numbers in any one place are often small, it remains a widespread species. Numerically, it is not remarkable. But it is still be wondered at - such a little bird making such an amazingly long journey to come here. It is always a delight to see their first appearance each year.
What attracts them? Are there things we can do to encourage them to visit? The very different experiences of three long-term Lade Vale and Oolong residents is instructive.
.
Gladstone Weatherstone(above left), as we know, lived on his property at Oolong for 55 years. He did not see a Latham's Snipe there for thirty years. His first sighting of one in 1971 was not was not repeated (or, at least, not recorded in his notebook).
Harold Hazell of Chain of Ponds at Oolong (centre) was Gladstone's immediate neighbour. Today, their properties are separated by the Hume Highway, but in 1971 they shared a fence line. Harold recalls seeing Japanese Snipe on the property regularly as a child and throughout his adult life. They are likely still present from time to time today.
Woodlands, a property at Lade Vale, is within sight of both Chain of Ponds and Lyndfield Park. The late Sid Hillier(above right) lived there for much of his life, beginning around 1935. Sid told me about many birds, mammals and reptiles he had seen during his lengthy time at Woodlands but Latham’s Snipe was not among them. He had never come upon one at all. Yet, to our surprise, they appeared for the first time in 2015 and have returned every year since then.
Why these different experiences on three close properties?
Gladstone’s Lyndfield Park was sensibly managed to maximise production. Yes, it had dams, but they were not bordered by the tussocks, reeds and shrubs needed by snipe. A stream which started on the property dried up due to decreased runoff from “improved pastures”, periods of lower rainfall and the draining of aquifers following the installation of bores. Small wonder then that these birds were a rarity there.
Harold and his father before him were active and successful managers of Chain of Ponds. One of their goals proved unobtainable. They wanted to remove an unproductive swamp, once part of a chain of ponds, on one corner of their property and replace it with much more desirable fodder grasses. But their long-held ambition could only be partially achieved. The remnant of this swamp, with its surrounding reed beds, is still with us today – as are visiting Latham's Snipe.
Woodlands was run by the Hillier family as a conventional sheep grazing property for many years. In 1995 they sold it to the writer and his wife. We came to the property as the landcare era, and the principles of regenerative farming were coming to the fore. Through landcare, we were introduced to natural biological management techniques to create healthy farm dams. The central principle underlying this form of water quality management was the sensible use of plants to filter water before it got into a dam.
In 1999 we put in a new farm dam based on these principles. It is now a well-functioning farm dam – but one framed by reeds, tussocks and other water plants. Imagine our surprise in October 2015 to unexpectedly come upon several Latham's Snipe there – a bird we had never seen before, and nor had Sid before us. They have returned every year since then - quite possibly the same birds every time.
Look closely in the picture at right to see a Latham’s Snipe startled by an Australian Raven flying overhead at our Lade Vale dam.
This shows us it is possible to create an enticing environment for birds such as Latham's Snipe. Landscapes like this can be even more productive than the totally traditional pasture grass-dominated paddocks once thought to be best.
Significant habitat for Latham's Snipe is considered to occur when the site supports 18 or more individuals of the species. We have never seen more than five at a time. However, it is still very satisfying to know that we are contributing to a national effort to keep these birds as part of our landscape.
The concept of using plants to keep farm dams clean and productive was not well known or promoted during Gladstone’s tenure at Lyndfield Park. And if he had been introduced to these practices? In that case, I am sure he would have adopted them – and likely been delighted to see Latham's Snipe on his property every year, rather than only once.
Thank You
Thank you to:
• Nicki Taws (Program Specialist – Ecologist, Greening Australia);
• Dr Tony Saunders (ornithologist and President of the Crookwell Native Flora and Fauna Club);
• Mark Clayton (former Senior Technical Officer, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology).
Mark, Tony and Nicki review drafts of these articles before publication. I really appreciate their help.
Thank you also to John Weatherstone for a transcription of Gladstone's Notebook and fielding lots of follow up questions about Gladstone related matters.
Like to Know More?
https://www.swifft.net.au The Latham’s Snipe Project was initiated to improve our understanding of migration and habitat use by Latham’s Snipe This site is well worth visiting.
A short biography of Gladstone is available by e-mail from bobgunninghistoryblog@gmail.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Lloyd R. Wolfe (COLONEL) (1954) The Australian Snipe in Japan, Emu - Australian Ornithology 54:3, 198-203, DOI: 10.1071/mu954198
Comments
Post a Comment